Pakistani Proverbs

Sayings of Pakistani origin

Water overflows where the banks are weak.
A little Knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Who has the power to fight lays conference aside.
Don't cram all five fingers into your mouth at once.
He who speaks the truth, his words are better than his silence, but who invents falsifications, his silence is better than his speech.
Another's misery is half enjoyment.
Donkey foals are loaded according to their size.
Ask the sheep about the thorn-hodge.
Strange food is on loan.
Do good & cast in to the river.
If porridge were good, it would sell in the Bazaar.
To make yourself equal to your kinsman wear white clothes.
The load which the donkey won't carry, you yourself will carry.
You keep on "cluck-clucking" here, and lay your eggs in another village.
A wolf in lamb's clothing.
Be it but an onion, let it be (given) graciously.
At last the wolf's cub becomes a wolf.
Division is main reason for the damage.
The friend appears in hard times, not at big dinners.
Retribution, though late, comes at last.
Something is better than nothing.
Destiny is a saddled donkey, he goes wherever you lead him.
He is so proud that an elephant could not carry his pride.
People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in; their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.
The bird sees the grain, but not the snare.
A hundred blows of a goldsmith are equal to one of a smith.
The donkey does not know how to laugh.
Stretch your feet according to the length of your sheet.
If you do not marry a gentle woman, she will not bear you a gentle son.
Your head is like a rose but the rest of you is like an onion.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Pakistan is a country in South Asia It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212,742,631 people. In area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China in the far northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman. ~ An Excerpt from Wikipedia

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and is federally administered as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory.

More than sixty languages are spoken in Pakistan. Urdu and English are the official languages of Pakistan, with English primarily used in official business and government, and in legal contracts. The Punjabi language, the most common in Pakistan and the first language of 44.15% of Pakistan's population.

The Qaumi Taranah “The Pure Land” is the national anthem of Pakistan.

English Lyrics:

Blessed be the sacred land,
Happy be the bounteous realm.
Thou symbol of high resolve,
O Land of Pakistan!
Blessed be the citadel of faith.

The order of this sacred land,
The might of the brotherhood of the people,
May the nation, the country, and the state,
Shine in glory everlasting!
Blessed be the goal of our ambition.

The flag of the crescent and star,
Leads the way to progress and perfection,
Interpreter of our past, glory of our present,
inspiration for our future!
Shade of God, the Glorious and Mighty.

More proverbs from Pakistan

A jackal at bay fights like a tiger.
The world is a traveller's Sarai.
If a man say to you, "A dog has carried off your ear," would you go after the dog or put your hand to your ear?
The road is open for the moneyed man.
Guard yourself from ignorance, for it is dishonor both in religion and the world.
Although the cloud is black, white water falls from it.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
See the mother, comprehend her daughter.
Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you're a vegetarian.
Don't look down on anyone unless you are helping them up.
Go twice on a road, but not twice with a statement.
The grey dog is the wolf's brother.
A person try to be on two sides goes nowhere.
Of the broken bow two persons are in fear.
Gather thistles & expect pickles.
It takes two to make a quarrel.
The snake dies and the club doesn't break.
The earth says, "If you are not a criminal don't fear me."
If a donkey goes to Mecca, when he returns he is the same donkey.
A closed mouth is better than talking nonsense.
A hint for a gentleman, a club for a clown.
The cat ate the curds and the house-wife got the blame for it.
Good soup is made from good meat.
Aim at much, lay by a little.
The medicine for asking is giving.
In the world two things afford delight - riding on horseback and sleeping on maiden's breast.
As you sow, so will you reap.
The fatter a hen grows, the tighter her anus becomes.
Only if you are alive, things matter.
Don't put your fingers into every hole. Or you will get stung some day.
Someone asked the sweeper of whom he was afraid, and he said, "Of my fellow-sweeper."
When a man grows old, every illness is ready for him.
Though truth-telling is proper, it [can be] bitter.
Even the bears on the hills have their flirtations.
You are sure to marry a woman either beautiful or ugly; If ugly she will be a punishment; if beautiful, you will share her with others. Therefore do not marry.
Let a widow re-marry, so that she may not be badly named.
Birds of same feather flock together.
As are the mothers so are the daughters.
The kid lies down by its mother's side.
Some horses were being shod and a frog also lifted up its feet.
Good mind, good find.
Sowing is easy, keeping is difficult.
A man who has been bitten by a snake is afraid of a bit of rope lying on the ground.
Camels slip in their own urine.
One sows it one hundred eat it.
You can dress a monkey in a suit, but it is still a monkey.
Don't look at the cock on his dunghill, but on your plate.
Some ask what they will eat; some ask what they will eat with.
The tree said. "If the axe handle were not made of my wood no one would be able to fell me."
Through too many butchers, the sheep becomes unfit for food.
Stretch your feet only as far as your covering.
His wits are gone a wool gathering.
When a brave man can't get assistance readily, he sets to work and does without it.
The naked man leaves the road, the hungry man does not.
Avarice is root of all evils.
They Agree Like Pick-Pockets In A Fair
A Thread Will Tie An Honest Man Better Than A Rope A Rogue.
Milk of milk, Water of water.
Though the cock crow not, morning will dawn.
Friendship is good with the noble, not with the base.
Though silk be old, it is better than cotton thread.
The little one goes in trust on the big one, and the big one in trust on God.
Who desires loss to his tribe, will make it his own.
One is equal to one hundred, and one hundred to earth.
It is a great art to do the right thing at the right season.
Though a month be a unit, its days are many.
What do donkeys know of eating green wheat?
A horse shows itself off under a good rider.
Were an old woman anything of a seer, she would ruin many families.
When the wolf gets red, he becomes an ugly customer.
As a man grows old, his avarice increases.
Keep yourself ready, watch your opportunity.
The country dog catches the country hare.
Child is in the armpit, chaos in the city.
Though the grave be a jail, it is unavoidable for the corpse.
What are you doing where you have neither sheep nor lambs?
The bald-headed man has not a single hair on his head, nor does he require any one.
If you fashion a cat of wood it will not mew.
Teaching a Jew to deal in the market is like teaching grandmother to eat her eggs.
To do work may be easy; to be master may be difficult.
Necessity is a mother of invention.
One stone is enough to drive away a hundred birds.
A tiger is a tiger, even inside a cage.
The Fool Thinks Nothing Done Right Unless He Has Done It Himself.
Nothing Comes Amiss To A Hungry Man.
A poor worker blames his tools.
Though the night be dark, the hand does not miss the mouth.
Though the cow be black, its milk is white.
Every rose has a thorn as its friend.
The hungry know nothing of the joys of repletion and the replete know not the pangs of hunger.
A rich house makes its foolish inhabitants wise.
If the truth comes out the land of lies will be burnt up.
It takes two to quarrel.
Whoever is open-handed makes for himself loincloths of black blankets.
If you are not his equal in strength, don't sit beside him off your guard.
Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.
God Keeps, No Frost Can Kill.
A journey is a dire calamity.
They who neglect their old friends for the sake of new, are rightly served if they lose both.
A small man relies on a big, but a big man relies on God.
Example is more than advice.
The more you stir up filth the more it smells.
He had burnt his mouth with the porridge, and was making death gasps.
A mountain is no place for a thief.
Great works are wrought by great hands; for if they (the hands) are small, they are stayed.
You cannot clap with one hand alone.
Parents say, "Our boy is growing up." They forget his life is shortening.
That part burns which has caught fire.
When there is no wind, bushes don't shake.
A lucky man never grieves.
Strong men and fools dare to tell the truth.
The Less People Think The More They Talk.
Money doesn't change people, it mainly exposes them.
My father died and his fever ended.
More to it than meets the eye.
When the wedding is over what is the use of putting on henna?
Facts speak plainer than words.
God will remain, friends will not.
If you hit a watch with a stone or a stone with a watch it comes to the same in the end.
When the time arrives for the snake to die, it goes on to the road.
A good understanding is rubies and jewels, it is not (acquirable) by force or gold.
Whether a man has or has not (wealth) he has cares.
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
If you don't mind bother, buy a goat.
Though you be a guest, you are not a dead man.
If you do not die of poverty, at last you will of old age.
As mother so daughters: as the mill so the flour.
One date is presumably more than two raisins.
A Fox Never Dies In The Dirt Of His Own Ditch.
Evidence does not need proof.
Death is certain, but a grave and a shroud are doubtful.
No one feels the smell of his own breath.
Who does wrong has bad dreams.
With the arrival of a stepmother the father becomes a step-father.
A drowning man catches at a bush.
Do not tyrannize over anyone, else it will happen with you too.
It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds to draw it.
Two hunts with one arrow.
When the talk is silly and thoughtless, I am better asleep than in such waking.
One good turn deserves another.
Though you have a white beard and toothless gums, you have not ceased attending to worldly affairs.
A fool would not have made such a fool of himself as a clever fellow (like you) has done.
Acquire knowledge, for it is glory in religion and the world.
Charity begins with ones near and dear ones.
Drowning man catches at straw.
May you not eat that lark which will rise up in your throat.
Lamentation is not with the drum.
On his forehead is light, whose sword tip is red.
Empty vessels make more noise.
What is the use to you of that Spring in which neither your calves nor your lambs graze?
Casting pearls before swine.
Who lives with a blacksmith will at last carry away burnt clothes.
A friend will cause you to weep, an enemy to laugh.
Gain is from offspring, or from the plough.
Who knows the benefit of good advice will begin no work without taking counsel.
A Book Is A Friend That Never Deceives.
Don't throw pearls into the cowshed.
Should you live one hundred years, at last you must die, my love.
No use crying over spilt milk.
Great cry little wool.
However much you cook tripe it will still taste horrible.
The ordinary Pathan admires in his fellow-man a good understanding and the fruit of making a good use of it.
What tree is there that the wind has not shaken?
An orphan is strong in crying.
No man can serve two masters.
One is afraid of his crime.
One man may equal another, except in good luck.
Though arms are a load, sometimes they are useful.
Death comes alike to the miser and the generous man.
If you deal in camels, make the doors high.
Between the devil and the deep sea.
When a stick is stirred in filth, the stench from it increases.
A bargain is no bargain to a man who cannot afford to buy it.
The sport of a donkey is either wind from behind or a kick.
If you do wrong you will sooner or later repent it; "Honesty is the best policy" after all.
Don't dance without the drum.
Who shaves off his beard won't take long about his moustache.
One who is free to sin, sins less; the very power weakens the seeds of sin.
Fool to others to himself a sage.
If Allah wills not, no one can Harm.
A cock makes a great to-do whether you catch hold of it tightly or gently.
Watch the oil and watch it pour.
Shoes are tested on the feet; a man in a row.
The lamb follows the sheep, the kid the goat.
Cowards cause harm to brave men.
What the mother ate her child sucked.
Do evil & look for like.
Don't go in front of the brave or behind a mule.
Old mare, red reigns.
Though pleasures become many, none will equal milk.
From the full vessel something spills over.
Were the knife of gold even, no one should plunge it into his own belly.
If you and I agree, what is the lawyer wanted for?
Be beautiful yourself, and you will find the world full of beauty.
There is no tree which has not felt the force of the wind.
There are lots of stones but only those of a seer's weight are the ones that are needed.
Be not so sweet that men will eat you, nor so bitter that they will spit you out.
From hearts to hearts are ways.
Everyone thinks his own grave too narrow.
What you spit out will not come back into your mouth.
Teaching a Jew to deal in the market is like teaching grandmother to eat her eggs.
Stretch thy arm no farther than thy sleeve will reach.
People laugh at fools, but fools laugh at all and sundry.
Every native is strongly attached to his birthplace, and Pathans are particularly so.
Once bitten twice shy.
Pure gold does not fear the flame.
Some die in its pursuit, some from it.
It was a calamity, but it did not increase.
Turn your face to virtue, and your back to vice.
A thin beard is fit for the razor.
Keep a cousin poor, but use him.
As the rock, so its chameleon; as the mountain, so its goat.
A great sound is given forth from the empty vessel.
Brotherhood is all very well, but my bow has a definite price.
People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.
Though I have not pastured flocks, yet I have heard the patter of their feet.
First know yourself, then betroth yourself.
All's well that ends well.
If a hare be made a beast of burden what sort of a load will it carry?
In Rome do as the Romans do.
Common sense is not in one's head nor does age bring it. It is the result of considered thought.
If the silk be old, you won't make even an donkey's pack-saddle from it.
Don't teach ducklings how to dive.
Don't lay yourself out over old men, they die, and young ones forget.
Brotherly love is all very well, but let there be some sort of account kept.
It is a hundred times more difficult to make a thing than to break it.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
To the moneyed man a mistress comes from Kabul.
One can't get currants without stalks.
Look at a man's deeds, not whether he is tall or short.
Use language with everyone according to the measure of his understanding.
A fog cannot be dispelled by a fan.
Diamonds cut diamonds.
Who likes squabbles at home contracts two marriages.
A lamb goes with the sheep and a kid with the goats.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
The liar tells lies, the truthful man tests them.
What will her mother's or grandmother's beauty avail the bride who is not herself beautiful?
The goldsmith it is who knows the value of gold.
When our neighbour's house is on fire, it is time to look to our own.
As the King so are the subjects.
Slow and steady wins the race.
What is white shines best amidst black.
Be yourself beautiful, and you will find the world full of beauty.
Death on a full belly is better than a life of hunger.
The donkey ate the stick, the potter's jaw swelled.

Search The Library

Proverbials!